"A stretchy fabric between the spokes was pulled down between the tubes, creating a form of cushion without needing padding."
That stretchy fabric loses its stretchiness over time (and it doesn't take long--in my Airpods Max, this fabric stopped being stretchy after only about a year), flattening out until it no longer provides any padding between the top of your head and the steel tubes between the earcups, so that if you wear your Airpods Max for longer than a short time in this condition, those tubes will make indentations in your scalp flesh and cause wear fatigue as a result.
You can buy pads that zipper into place over the steel tubes, which places the pad between the tubes and your head, which is what I did, and they work well. Apple should have thought of this.
Comments
Still, I love my AirPods Max and don’t plan to upgrade until they die, which will hopefully be a few more years.
That stretchy fabric loses its stretchiness over time (and it doesn't take long--in my Airpods Max, this fabric stopped being stretchy after only about a year), flattening out until it no longer provides any padding between the top of your head and the steel tubes between the earcups, so that if you wear your Airpods Max for longer than a short time in this condition, those tubes will make indentations in your scalp flesh and cause wear fatigue as a result.
You can buy pads that zipper into place over the steel tubes, which places the pad between the tubes and your head, which is what I did, and they work well. Apple should have thought of this.